Testing the Usability and Applicability of Australian Multilingual Public Service Communications.

Project overview

RMIT University partnered with LOTE to lead a transformative project for the Department of Health and Aged Care. The initiative aimed to explore effective communication in CALD communities.

The project had two main goals:

1. Finding efficient ways to deliver crucial health information to CALD populations.

2. Conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis to identify methods with optimal efficacy and value.

LOTE formed a dedicated four-member team to meet RMIT's needs. This included a thorough translation comparison study, rigorous community testing, data analysis using the Qualtrics platform, and synthesising these findings into a high-level report.

The solution

Our role in this project included delivering:

• Translation Comparison Study. LOTE conducted a translation study with NAATI-accredited translators across 7 major language groups, using 4 approaches:
  • Human translation of the original text
  • Human translation of a Plain English versions
  • Machine translation with human post-editing transcreation
  • LOTE engaged a diverse panel of community testers, representing various backgrounds and language proficiency levels. They provided crucial feedback on translation suitability and assessed message resonance with target CALD communities.

• Data collection and analysis. LOTE's research team gathered and collated crucial data from community testers and project translators, forming the foundation for informed Decision-making.

Our impact

LOTE's partnership in this project profoundly impacted public service communications in several vital areas. Collaborating with RMIT University enabled LOTE to uncover valuable insights for the Department, laying a crucial foundation for enhancing CALD community communication.

The project's findings will contribute to ongoing efforts to improve communication strategies, bridging gaps and promoting effective engagement. This collaboration met immediate research goals and established a foundation for future research support with universities, positioning LOTE to contribute to evolving communication strategies as new research needs arise.

Relevant capabilities demonstrated

Our work on this program demonstrates our:

• Ability to effectively engage and communicate with diverse communities, spanning various languages and cultural backgrounds

• Translation project management proficiency and ability to train and lead a substantial team of translators on a complex project, guaranteeing accuracy and consistency in our outcomes

• Ability to collaborate with experts on complex projects, yielding mutually beneficial results

• Expertise in community testing and ability to orchestrate and oversee community testing panels comprising a wide range of language groups, collecting invaluable insights to enhance communication strategies.